The present invention relates to buildings, and more particularly, to building roofs.
Many buildings have equipment, skylights, and the like installed on the roof thereof. Often, such elements require servicing, in which case the panels forming the roof outer surface are required to support extra weight which results from new equipment, servicing equipment, or the service personnel themselves. Frequent foot traffic and heavy concentrated loads may damage the roof panels, reduce expected roof life, or even void any roof warranty in effect.
Increasing the strength of roof panels is one solution to the problem presented by the extra weight, but this solution may prove costly and uneconomical. Therefore, some means of protecting a building roof from the problems created by extra weight placed thereon by roof traffic is required.
Abrasion and subsequent deterioration of protective coatings on steel roof panels represents a primary problem with foot traffic on a roof. Such abrasion greatly reduces roof life by exposing the steel to rust. Scratches also represent a vexatious problem.
Roof maintenance platforms represent a convenient solution to this problem, yet, heretofore, there are no known maintenance platforms for building roofs. Roof maintenance platforms are, however, known in the railroad art, where roof running boards are provided on top of railroad cars. However, these running boards are generally permanently installed using bolts, rivets, penetrating fasteners, saddles, and the like. Furthermore, the roof of a railroad car is subject to different considerations than the roof of a building. One such consideration is the relative size of the two types of roofs. A weight to size ratio of a railroad car roof can be much greater than such a ratio for a building roof, as building roofs generally span much greater areas than railroad car roofs. Accordingly, any fasteners used with railroad car roof maintenance platforms are generally of the permanent and penetrating type, and such maintenance platforms are difficult and tedious to install. Once installed, the running boards cannot be moved to new locations.
The present invention provides a maintenance platform for a building roof which can support thereon roof traffic.